Little Histories
by practically geriatric
Summary: Latest oneshot: Eloise has alway felt out of place in school - when will her Hogwarts letter come and end her misery?
1. Chapter 1: Adopted

Molly Weasley sat thoughtfully in the kitchen with her husband. All the guests had left, and leaving her favorite room a mess. One of the twins had said something earlier that day which struck her as odd, but she was so excited about Ron's prefect letter she hadn't noticed it. Still, she got the feeling it was important…

"Tell me again what happened," Arthur said kindly. This was something they had to do for each other more and more often now that age was becoming a factor.

"Well, I was telling Ron how proud we are of him… and I was thinking of Percy and Charlie and Bill… and I said… I said…" Molly paled. "Oh, Arthur! I said 'that's everyone in the family!' How could I have said that, right in front of them?!"

"Ah."

"I mean, what if they figure it out? You know how clever they are…"

"I'm sure they chalked it up to a slip of the tongue." His voice was low and soothing and it was times like these that reminded her just how she fell in love with him in the first place. "I hate to point this out, Molly, but you're always calling the kids by the wrong names, and by your brother's names. I do the same things sometimes. Things like that happen, it's nothing to get suspicious about."

Molly sat there in dismay. "I remember what they said now." Her voice was quiet, on the verge of breaking. "George asked if they were 'next-door neighbors.'"

Arthur winced. "Funny thing is, that could be true, for all we know."

"I know...I know...Oh, Arthur, what should I do? Do you think we should tell them?"

"That wasn't our choice, remember? Their mother specifically requested no one ever know."

"I wish we could have met the poor girl…"

"I don't."

Molly looked at him, startled by his definitive response. "Why not?"

"Because it would only have complicated matters. Who knows, maybe she would have wanted them back? And then what? I know how selfish this is, but for all the trouble they get into, I'm proud to call the my sons. I don't want to compete for them. If they learn the circumstances of their adoption, I very much doubt their love for us would keep them from ferreting her out."

"You...You're right." She sighed, and then gave a small laugh. "Remember when they realized we got their Christmas presents in advance? They tore up the house looking for where we hid them."

He smiled. "Of course I remember. We ended up stashing all the gifts in my office until they were old enough to go to school. It was so cramped Perkins had to put a shrinking charm on everything and stashed it into an envelope. I never told you this, but for about three days I thought I'd lost it all."

Her face relaxed for a moment - it was too long ago to get angry about it. Then she stiffened with worry. "Arthur...What should I do?"

"Simply apologize for the oversight Molly. Nothing more - they'll know something's up if you dwell on it."

"I love them so much, Arthur… what if they don't forgive me?"

"Nonsense. You're their mother. They've probably already forgotten the whole thing."

"I hope you're right."

Arthur went up to bed shortly after that. Molly insisted she could clean up the kitchen herself - cleaning always cleared her head. It gave her something to focus on. Tonight, however, was different. She couldn't help but remember the events leading up to their birth…

She paused, and so did the broom, the rag, and the dishes. Taking a deep breath, she fingered the locket around her neck. A memorial for the daughter she lost, with the initials M.C.W. carved on the inside. Miranda Claire Weasley.

After three sons, all she had wanted was a little girl. The excitement she felt when the Healer performed the revelation charm on her baby was overwhelming.

Which made the miscarriage several months later all the more devastating. Her son Bill was the only one old enough to realize that mummy was acting differently, but she hid it as best she could. She still had three living children to attend to, but that just gave her an excuse not to leave the house.

The rumor of her plight circled the magical community - such a thing is rare for witches - but Molly couldn't bring herself to confirm it. If she pretended it was just a silly rumor, she hoped it would remain just a silly rumor and she could have her daughter back. But that was not the case.

Sometime in May of that year, Minerva McGonagall had come to her door as a cat with a proposal. Molly remembered every word of that conversation.

"Mrs. Weasley, I have heard a tragic rumor," she said gently. "Is it true?"

Molly's silence was the only answer Minerva needed.

"I truly am sorry for your loss, Molly."

The redhead continued to look at her feet.

Minerva sighed. "There is a girl at Hogwarts facing a different kind of trial. Certain indiscretions over the summer break have led to a pregnancy. She is ashamed and confused. She came to me in tears, unsure of what to do. The only thing she wants right now is for the entire thing to be over without anyone ever knowing about it."

Molly finally looked up. "What are you saying, Minerva?"

"I do not ask this lightly. I know there is no replacement for the loss of a child. However, I have come to ask if you and Arthur would consider adopting the children."

"Children? There's more than one?"

"Yes. She is pregnant with twins."

"Poor girl…"

Minerva allowed herself a small smile. "She is very brave for her age, given the circumstances. I'm proud to have her in my house."

"I'll...I'll talk it over with Arthur."

"That's all I ask. A miscarriage is nothing to be ashamed about, but please understand that the mother has requested absolute secrecy. You know what teenage girls are like - she's worried about her reputation, and she is not confident her friends will stay true. Confidentiality is extremely important to her, and I…" Her voice broke slightly, "I want to do everything I can to ease her mind. But I want to make sure you know all the implications of it. These twins would be your true children, and the rumor will be forgotten. Not even the children are to know that they are adopted."

"I… yes, I understand."

"You'll write when you've made a decision?"

"Of course."

Molly already knew what she wanted. Despite what Minerva said, she was still ashamed that she'd somehow lost a child. The mother's desired secrecy surrounding the matter made it all the more preferable. It actually seemed like a win-win situation - the girl could keep her reputation, and Molly could keep hers. Arthur took some convincing, but he too agreed that, if for no other reason, the young woman's children were innocent. They should be raised in a loving home.

Mrs. Weasley began to wear a charmed shirt so it looked as though her belly was swelling. It would have to be larger than she was used to, but the real trick was acting like she was pregnant since she didn't feel any extra weight. It was a good thing she'd spent the past few years actually bearing children.

Minerva took care of everything else. The young woman wore a similar shirt to hide her growing stomach from her classmates. There were ways to check for a child's potential appearance, and all were thrilled to find out that they would have red hair, just like Molly and Arthur. That was what sealed the decision for them really, even though it was simple coincidence.

Sometimes, she forgot the twins were adopted. At other times, she tortured herself with the thought that they were somehow living a lie. But no one - most especially herself - could question the fierce love she had for each of her children. And despite the circumstances of their birth, Fred and George are _her_ children.

There was no reason to fret about the incident. She would apologize for her slip up tomorrow, and that would be that.

A/N: My ego craves reviews almost as much as Fred and George crave trouble. Thank you to those who have already dropped a line - I've updated and reworded some things thanks to your constructive criticism.


	2. Chapter 2: Face

Eloise could not understand why she had to go to a muggle school. Plenty of muggle kids were homeschooled, and all of her magical friends got to learn from their parents. Her dad was a wizard, but her mum was a muggle, and it was her mum who insisted that going to school at her age is important. Eloise had told them about how miserable each day was: how boring and useless the classes were, how the teachers reacted ridiculously to an untucked shirt, and - most importantly - how the other students treated her.

She didn't think she'd be able to survive one more day of 4th grade, even if this was her last year here.

The school's hallways always made her feel grubby. Her hair was oily, her skin was oily, and the anxiety of interacting with other students wreaked unimaginable havoc on her face. Moreover, the windows were always covered. It could be 25 degrees Celsius outside, but inside it always felt like a chilly grey. This could have had something to do with the blue and grey lockers that lined the walls, or the blue, green, and cream tiles that speckled the floor. That didn't changed the fact that by the time Eloise got to her classroom, she had her own personal raincloud overhead.

"Hey, _solar-system face!_ "

Eloise looked up, into the face of Alex Weimar. She hadn't seen him coming. He was a tall, gangly kid with fluffy hair. He reminded her of a disheveled rat.

"Get it?" he continued savagely. "Your face is like the solar system. Because it's got little _dots_ all over it."

Eloise got it. "Well...I _like_ learning about space, so… so thanks for the _compliment_."

She shoved past him and into the classroom, where he wouldn't dare say such things within earshot of Mrs. Handley.

Her face felt hot, and her eyes began to sting. _Thanks for the compliment? Really? Was that the best I could come up with?_ It was just as stupid as solar system face. Not that there was much one can say in response anyway. _I could at least have called him ratface_.

She could hear his stupid laughter when he and his mate Justin entered the classroom. They were probably making fun of her comeback (or lack thereof).

 _Maybe tonight daddy will perform a spell on my face_ , she thought. _Maybe, if I tell him how rude those boys are, he'll do something to fix it_ …

Eloise knew this was a false hope. She'd asked her father to do this hundreds of times, ever since the pimples started growing on her face a few months ago, but he always said "no." His excuses were many, but they never seemed to make sense to her: their mysterious disappearance would cause more trouble, he didn't want to accidentally make it worse, he didn't know how. He offered to switch her to another school, but being the new kid is almost as bad as being the ugly one. At a new school, she would be both.

And so Eloise drifted through one more day of class, all of her hope placed in a magical letter.

A/N: thanks for reading! I may end up posting more random oneshots as I think of them.

My ego craves reviews almost as much as poor Eloise craves a solution to her acne (come to think of it, I crave a solution to acne, too...). Please feel free to drop a line and help me be a better writer!


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